Vehicle-boot



D. R. GOWAN.

VEHICLE BOOT.

Patented Mar. 2, 1.897.

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Nrrnn STATES DAVID R. COVVAN, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-BOOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,838, dated March 2,1897.

Application filed April 7, 1896.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID R. COWAN, of Moline, county of Rock Island,and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inVehicle-Boots, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to vehicleboots; and it consists ofimproved mechanism connected to the boot and to the vehicle-body andincluding a spring, the said parts being so constructed and arrangedthat the spring will act to hold the boot yieldingly either in an openor closed position.

The invention consists also in the details of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation of therear part of a buggy, showing my invention applied thereto, the bootbeing in a closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the boot in araised or open position.

Referring to the drawings, l represents the rear portion of a buggy orwagon body in the form of arectangular box or receptacle, which isprovided with a cover or boot 3, consisting of a rectangular boot-frame4, corresponding in size and form to the box and adapted to rest on itsupper edge, as plainly shown in Fig. l. The frame is provided, as usual,with a suitable covering stretched and secured thereover. The boot thusformed is hinged at its forward edge, as at 5, by any suitable means, tothe front of the box, so that the boot may be lifted to the positionshown in Fig. 2 to permit access to the interior of the box.

In order that the boot may be held yieldingly in either a closed or anopen position, I have designed the mechanism which constitutes myinvention, and which embodies a connecting device between the boot andvehiclebody pivoted thereto and a spring applied to said parts andacting on said device in such manner that it will hold the bootyieldingly closed and also in an open position. In applying thisconnecting device I fix at the front of the box, at one side, ahorizontal rearwardlyextending bracket 6, and to the rear end of thisbracket I pivot theforward end of a bar 7, which extends rearward andhas its rear end pivoted, as at 8, to the lower end of a link 9, theupper end of which is pivoted, as at 10,

Serial No. 586,482. (N0 model.)

to the boot-frame. The bar and link form a jointed connection betweenthe vehicle-body and the boot, and when the latter is in a horizontalclosed position the bar will extend at a downward inclination from thebracket and the link will occupy a substantially vertical position, thepivot S joining the bar and link, being thus considerably below theconnection of the bar and bracket. When, however, the boot is raised, asshown in Fig. 2, the bar and link will extend nearly in line, and thepoint of connection of the two will be on the other side of and abovethe connection of the bar with the bracket. I apply to these connectingparts a spiral spring l0, the forward end of which is connected to thebracket at a point in advance of the connection of the bar 7 therewithand preferably in line with said point of connection, and the rear endof which is connected to the forward end of a rod 1l, whose opposite endis connected to the pivot S. This spring when the boot is closed, as inFig. l, exerts a pull in a line extending from the bracket-plate to thepivot 8, connecting the link and bar, and the latter being below thepoint of connection of the bar with the bracket the tendency of thespring will be to exert a downward pull on the boot through the mediumof the link 9, the result being that the said boot will be heldyieldingly in a closed position. When, however, the boot is raised tothe position shown in Fig. 2, the pivotal connection 8, passes to theother side of the bracket, and the tendency of the spring in. thisposition will be to pull forward on the parts and hold the bootyieldingly in an open raised position.

It will be noted that the connecting device between the boot-frame andthe vehicle-body extends between its ends below the point of connectionwith the vehicle-body when` the boot is closed and that the spring isconnected to this device at a point below its connection with thebracket, and this is the essence of the invention, and it is obviousthat the details may be variously modified without departing from thelimits of my invention, provided the above construction is preserved.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is ICO l. Thecombination with the vehicle-body l thereto, the bar pivoted at itsfront end to the Vehicle-body at a point rearward of the oonnection ofthe boot-frame therewith, a link pivoted to the rear end of the bar andto the boot-frame, and a spring connected at 011e end to theVehicle-body and at its opposite end at the pivotal connection of thebar and link.

2. The combination with the vehicle-body, of the boot hinged at itsforward end thereto, a rearwardly-extending braoket 'Iixed to said body,a bar pivoted to the bracket and eX- tending` rearward, a link pivotedto the rear end of the bar and to the boot, a spring oonnected at itsforward end to the bracket in advance of the point of the connection ofthe bar therewith, and a rod connected at its forward end to the rearend of the spring, and at its rear end at or near the pivotal connectionof the bar and link.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 25th day of March,1896, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

DAVID R. COXVAN.

Witnesses:

HENRY C. FIESTRO, ELMER E. MORGAN.

